How to Deal
by amberranae6292
Summary: Yeah, I just named the summary what I named the song, cuz I'm tired, so sue me. It's a songfic. Babesterz, you'll prolly get mad at me for this one. Cupcakes might not like it either though, on second thought.. Oh well. Read it anyway. Boom.


**Disclaimer : None of the characters 'cept the two whores and the waitress are mine, so -shrugz- The song is How to Deal by Frankie J. **

**Now, I'm a Babe all the way, but this song didn't seem to fit for Joe, so I made it for Ranger.. Don't worry, I think Ranger is a total asshole in this story too, so, -shrugz again- Anyway, here ya go.._

* * *

_ **

_Sometimes a man has to choose_

_**And do somethin' he doesn't wanna do**_

_**Do I live my life with you as my wife?**_

_**Or do I go on and pursue my lifetime dream?**_

Ranger -- big, bad, Batman Ranger -- was confused. He hated the feeling, it was not something he dealt with often, and he did not deal with it lightly either. He looked back down at the paper in his hand -- a five-year government contract. He looked at the silver-framed picture on his desk, a picture of a vivid-eyed, curly haired brunette. Stephanie Plum.

He sighed and threw the paper aside in dismay. Threading his fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes and tried to figure out what the hell he should do now. He and Stephanie had been closer lately, but Morelli was still between them, as was his work. Ranger opened his eyes and, after pulling out the first drawer in his desk, brought out a small jeweler's box. An engagement ring, no less. He had paid the best jeweler he knew for it, but it had remained abandoned in his desk for the past three weeks. Stephanie, of course, did not know of the ring, and Ranger had not been in a hurry to tell her. God help him, he loved the woman, but his work was just too damn dangerous. When he had attempted to explain this to his friends, however, they had shook their heads at him and said he was overreacting.

"_Am _I overreacting?" he muttered to himself, examining the ring closely, as he had done almost every day since he got it. "No," he decided. Stephanie had a damn good streak of luck, and probably the best instincts he'd ever seen, but it was just too dangerous for her. He knew that, despite what she might think, Stephanie was not the type of woman to stay in hiding and under his protection all her life. Hell, she refused his mens' protection now. He sighed, replaced the ring in the box, and pushed it to the back of the drawer. As he was shutting the drawer, his cell phone rang.

"_Babe _calling," it said. Ranger couldn't help but to smile, wondering what trouble she had gotten herself into this time. All of his men appreciated her, and a few of them considered her to be a sister. She always brightened the day for them, but God forbid she and Lester be paired together. Throw in Bobby or Lula and you have Larry, Curly, and Moe in the flesh.

"Yo," Ranger said, knowing Stephanie would be able to hear his smile.

"Yo yourself." She sounded annoyed. Ranger couldn't help but to smile wider. He himself had been the object of her annoyance many times, and he knew she was probably shooting her phone a Burg glare.

"What's up, Babe?" he asked, not trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. He figured he would pay for that later, but he couldn't help himself.

"What's up? What's up? Not the Buick, that's for sure. The goddamn car is indestructable! I can't get rid of it!" Stephanie's voice was so desperate that Ranger couldn't keep his laughter in. Everybody knew that the powder blue Buick was better built than a tank, and Stephanie hated the thing. He had heard rumors that she had gone so far as to leave it abandoned with the keys in the ignition on Stark Street.. for a week. When she came back, it was still there. Nobody was willing to take that thing into their custody, and Ranger really couldn't blame them.

"Babe," Ranger grinned. "The military might be willing to borrow it from you." More like, the TNT squad. But no need to get her too excited, he decided.

"Hah. You're such a comedian."

Ranger's mind drifted to the ring in his desk, and to the contract on top. "Stephanie," he said seriously, "I need to talk to you." He knew she would take it hard, but he knew what he had to do. She just couldn't be anymore involved with him, for her safety.

"Um, okay?" She sounded curious and slightly nervous. "Where?"

He inwardly sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought. "Your apartment?" He suggested. "I'll bring dinner."

"Okay," she agreed.

"Babe," he said, then disconnected. He couldn't help but smile slightly at what he knew her expression would be; she always lectured him about his phone manners, and even went so far as to give an impromptu phone-manners-session to his men at lunch.

He looked back down to the contract, pulling it toward him. He knew he had to make a decision before he went to Stephanie's; she would influence him way too much, even without meaning to. He blew out a breath of air, then made up his mind. He quickly picked up his pen, hoping that his thoughts wouldn't drift off to the small ring in his desk.

_**I gotta do this for me**_

_**Cuz if I don't I'll probably regret it**_

_**But if I do I'll probably regret it**_

_**How do I cope?**_

"Hey," she greeted him, her eyes curious. He forced his eyes to be blank, knowing his face already would be.

"Hey, Babe," he said, moving into the foyer. She took the pizza from him, then followed him as he moved into her living room. He pushed the pizza box away from them, then sat her down beside him.

"Babe," he said softly. He could tell from her eyes that she knew something was wrong.

"Ranger?" she asked tenatively, but he did not answer her. Instead, he traced his fingers over her face; her eyelids, her nose, her lips. He moved his hand back behind her neck and forced a smile that she didn't return.

"Stephanie," he whispered, slowly memorizing the smell of her skin, the feeling of her quick breaths on his cheek.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. He moved his head forward and, with featherlight touches, brushed his lips across the same path that his fingers had made. He entwined his fingers in hers, kissed her below her ear, then pulled back.

He pondered how to tell her, then decided to come out and say it. "Stephanie," he said, "I have to leave."

She frowned, not understanding. "Okay?" she said. She was used to his sudden out-of-town trips, with the type of life he lived they were expected. "Where do you have to go?"

He gave her another small smile and shook his head slightly, holding her eyes with his own. He felt his heart break as her eyes widened and misted over.

"Oh," she whispered. "You're.. you're leaving.. you're.." He pulled her to him, holding her as she shook with sobs. He smoothed her hair back and held her to him, not wanting to let go. He closed his eyes to force his own emotions away, but it did him little good. She pulled back away from him, looking slightly lost. He didn't even attempt to smile, but just brushed her tears away.

"Why?" she whispered to him.

Shit, he thought. He had hoped to avoid this; he knew she wouldn't take it well that he had chosen to leave. He studied her eyes as he thought of a way to explain to her, to somehow let her know that it was for her own good.

"I have a five year contract with the government," he said reluctantly, watching her closely.

She pulled back away from him in shock. "You.. you're _choosing _to leave me?"

He groaned audibly and dropped his head forward. He closed his eyes again, then lifted his head and faced her. "Stephanie.. this is for your safety," he said softly.

"My.. my _safety_?" She squeaked out the last word, and he cringed. "You're leaving me for five fucking years for my _safety_? Are you out of your _mind?_" Her voice rose higher with every word. She suddenly threw herself at him, throwing wild punches into his chest. "You can't leave me," she sobbed. "Don't leave me, Ranger, don't, don't.." Her voice faded as he grabbed her again, holding her tighter than before.

"I'm sorry, querida," he whispered. "I'm sorry.."

As much of a bastard as he already felt like, he knew he was about to feel even worse. "Stephanie," he said. She didn't move. "Stephanie," he said firmer, and she looked up at him. "Ba-Stephanie.. I know you're going to hate me for this.. but Stephanie.. go back to Morelli."

Her eyes grew wider, and then became very pissed off. "You can't do this!" she yelled. "Not again," she whispered in an afterthought. Ranger pulled her to him and placed his mouth firmly on hers. She immediately responded, opening her mouth to him. He kissed her hard, pouring everything he felt into it, then pulled away to look at her.

Her eyes were wide as saucers. "You love me," she whispered, touching her lips. He couldn't help but to smile slightly.

"Yeah, Babe," he whispered into her ear, before standing up and heading to the door. "I love you."

And, almost inaudibly, she said to his back, "I love you too."

_**How do you cope when**_

_**the one you love is**_

_**with somebody else and there's nothin' you can do about it?**_

_**How do you deal with**_

_**the fact that you had a chance**_

_**but you chose to turn away for your career?**_

**Two years later**

He wasn't sure what he would find on his return to Trenton. Wasn't sure what to expect, really. He had been cut off from all communication with everybody -- including Tank-- for the past 22 months. After stopping by Miami to visit his daughter, he headed immediately back to Trenton. He hadn't told anybody he was in town, so he took a cab from the airport back to RangeMan. He checked in with Tank, Lester, and Bobby, then headed over to Vinnie's to get his job back. He was on leave for six months, and he wasn't about to sit on his ass the entire time.

He slipped into Vinnie's unnoticed, and took the extra time to observe the women in front of him. Connie's hair was, as always, sky-high, but she had dyed it. Lula looked to be a little slimmer, but still stuffed into stretched-beyond-belief spandex. The woman he spent the most time on, however, was Stephanie. Her hair was the same length, but she was in better shape and in an irresistably tight top. The three were pouring over a magazine of some kind, completely oblivious to him.

He cleared his throat, grinning as the three jumped high in their chairs. Lula missed hers completely and fell onto the floor.

"Ranger!" Stephanie exclaimed, her vibrant blue eyes wide. Both Ranger and Stephanie ignored Lula's creative cursing and grumbling as she picked herself up off the floor. Instead, they stared at each other. She moved her hand slightly, and a flash of light caught. He looked down and saw an engagement ring around her finger. Shit, he said mentally. He should've known better than to think that she would wait for him all this time, but he had always hoped.

"Who's the guy?" he asked, nodding his head toward the ring, hoping his voice was neutral. Stephanie looked almost emberrassed.. no, definately embarrassed.

"Um, well.. Morelli."

Shit, he repeated. Damn man, you told her to go back to him. Twice, in fact.

"Congratulations," he said easily, flashing her a smile that he hoped looked sincere. "Is Vinnie in?" This was directed at Connie, who nodded.

"Go on in," she said, motioning towards the door. He did as she advised, knocking once, then opening the door.

"Ranger!" Vinnie's eyes were as wide as his cousin's had been, which rather disturbed Ranger a little. Ranger shut the door behind him, then moved into the office.

"Vinnie," he said with a nod. "I'll be here for the next six months, so if you need a bou-"

He was cut off by the sound of female voices coming from a speaker on Vinnie's desk. He knew immediately it was a bug from the lobby. Despite his better judgement, he was curious. Vinnie grinned at him and turned up the volume.

"..Seen that look before," Connie was saying.

"She's right, girl," Lula said. "You marryin' Supercop, you can't be makin' googly-eyes at Batman."

"I wasn't!" Stephanie objected.

"Bullshit," Lula countered. "I seen that look before. And you sho' wasn't lookin' at Morelli when I saw it, eitha."

"What are you trying to say?" Steph hissed.

"She's trying to say that you got it bad for Ranger," Connie said. "You look at him like he's the only guy in the room, and Lula's right, you haven't ever looked at Morelli like that."

"Girl, you can't be gettin' involved with Batman," Lula said urgently. "You an' Morelli are finally gettin' hitched."

"I wonder why he's back anyway?" Stephanie mused. "He wasn't supposed to be back for another three years."

Her comment was met with silence.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"And how the hell would you know that?" Connie asked incredulously. "Not even Tank knew how long Ranger would be gone."

"Well, I.. um.."

Somebody, probably Lula, let out a long, slow whistle. "Dayum, girl," she said softly. "You really do love him, don'tcha?"

Ranger waited, eyes locked with a wide-eyed Vinnie, for the answer. Vinnie frowned, and leaned down to check the speakers when Steph finally spoke.

"I'm not having this conversation," she said. "I'm marrying Morelli, and probably Ranger isn't going to be here long. I have things to do, like, you know, _try on my wedding dress_." The last few words were said so loudly that they could hear them without the bug. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to be leaving." Vinnie turned up the volume louder, and he and Ranger listened as the sound of the door closed. Vinnie turned the volume completely off, then turned to Ranger.

"Damn," he said slowly.

"No shit," Ranger said back.

_**I gotta take it, though it's heartbreakin'**_

_**It's somethin' that I had to do.**_

_**But nobody said that it would hurt so bad**_

_**So how do I live,**_

_**how do I deal without you?**_

_**It's killing me to know that your heart's with me**_

_**but you're with him 'cuz I chose to be**_

_**in this industry.**_

_**Money, shows, and ho's come along with luxury**_

**Four months later**

Ranger shook his head impatiently at the woman in front of him, the woman trying desperately to get him into her pants. She wasn't a bad looking girl, with her blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She had a playboy body, real boobs, and there were no strings attached. He honestly couldn't remember her name, but he wasn't even sure she had even given it to him. Beside them, Tank and the girl's friend were already going at it. This whole thing had been Tank's idea, anyway. He had decided that, since tonight was Stephanie's wedding night, the two of them needed distraction. So now they were in Atlantic City, and Ranger was beginning to wonder why he had even agreed to come.

The blonde gave up on him and, with a sigh, moved over to Tank and her redhead friend. Ranger just watched them, wondering what Stephanie was doing. Actually, he knew _who _she was doing, or who she would be doing later. He wondered if she was Stephanie Morelli yet. He glanced at the huge clock above the jacuzzi, and decided she probably was in the vow-changing process at that moment. It had occured to him that he could probably stop her, but he knew she was getting what she really needed by marrying Morelli. Ranger could probably give her everything she could want, money-wise, but he couldn't back out of his job. Marrying a cop is better than marrying a mercenary.

"Come on, Ranger man," Tank called out from amist the girls. "Get your damn mind off of her for a night, at least." Ranger watched him and the two women, then situated himself in the pool. The blonde turned her attention to him, and he crooked his finger at her. He knew it was probably a mistake, but Tank was right, he needed to get his mind off the Italian-Hungarian beauty that had him more confused and, though he found it hard to believe, saddened than he had ever been in his lifetime. The blonde slid her way over to him, then settled herself in his lap. He rested his head back as she began to move. Time for a temporary fix.

_**And pain is all you see when you think about it**_

_**but this is the life that I was given**_

_**so I have to live it to the fullest**_

_**But how do I deal in the meantime **_

_**without you?**_

**Three years later**

Ranger felt good, refreshed. He was finally free of the entire US government, his final contract having ended recently. He headed to Big Jim's for some ribs and greens. He made small chat with the only waitress that managed to serve him without stumbling over herself, a tousled-haired brown-eyed brunette. He learned that she was from South Carolina, which explained her accent, and that she was an intern in the local hospital. The two had been chatting for twenty minutes or so when the bell above the door rang, and who walked in but Stephanie Morelli. Her eyes immediately met Ranger's, and she headed over to him.She stopped by the small littletoy-vending machines, and Ranger turned his attention back to his current company.The waitress, Shana, noticed their looks and smiled.

"Unfinished business," she mused wisely. Ranger flashed her a grin.

"Something like that," he replied.

She laughed, then stood up. "I'll be in the kitchen if ya need me." She gave Stephanie a smile, winked at Ranger, and then was gone. He shook his head at her back, then turned his attention to the approaching Stephanie.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting down opposite him.

"Hey," he answered in the same tone. She gave him a smile, then looked down and fiddled with her marriage band.

"So," he said, nodding his head at it, "You're Mrs. Morelli now?"

Steph smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I guess."

He frowned at her. "What's that mean?"

She stared at her wedding band a little longer, then looked up. "I guess I'm happy," she said, sighing. "I am happy," she said hastily, seeing his raised eyebrow. "It just.. he just.." she trailed off. Ranger opened his mouth to reply, when he was interrupted by a little boy running up.

"Mama," he said, "I ran outta money. Can I have s'more?"

Ranger couldn't help but to grin at the child. He looked like a mini-Morelli, through and through, but he had Stephanie's bright blue eyes. He guessed the boy was three or four years old.

The boy's eyes turned from his mother to Ranger. "Who are you?" he asked, his wide eyes curious. Ranger grinned even wider at that, the feature that was absolutely Stephanie.

"I'm Ranger," he said to him. "Who are you?"

"Joey," the boy said proudly. "Do you wear a bra? Mama wears a bra. It's black and looks like a spider web cuz it's see-thro-"

Ranger burst out laughing as Stephanie flushed and clapped her hand over Joey's mouth. "Um, anyway," she said, turning back to a grinning Ranger, "I have to go." She gestured at her son, the stern-but-proud motherly look in her eye. "Joey, say goodbye to Ranger," she instructed. Ranger thought about reminding her that she hadn't even ordered anything, but decided against it as he turned his attention back to Joey.

"Bye Mr. Ranger," Joey waved.

"Bye Joey," Ranger said, his grin fading. "Bye Steph," he said softer, looking her in the eye. She kept his stare for a full minute, then looked down and away.

"Bye," she echoed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped, shook her head, and turned. Ranger watched her as she put her hand on her young son's shoulder, stirring up feelings from deep within him. Ranger couldn't help but wonder what she would look like being the mother of _his _child, which caused him to wonder how a child of his and Stephanie's together would look. He shook his head, not allowing himself to dwell on the thought.

"She's Morelli's," he said outloud to himself. But, no matter how much he tried to convince himself of that, only one thought ran through his head.

She could be mine.

_**How do you cope when**_

_**the one you love is**_

_**with somebody else and there's nothin' you can do about it?**_

_**How do you deal with**_

_**the fact that you had a chance**_

_**but you chose to turn away for your career?**_

_**I gotta take it, though it's heartbreakin'**_

_**It's somethin' that I had to do.**_

_**But nobody said that it would hurt so bad**_

_**So how do I live,**_

_**how do I deal without you?** _

**_

* * *

_**

**Sooo, there ya have it. By the way, I coulda thought up a more creative name besides for "Joey" but it's 1:47 in tha mornin, and honestly, I'm tired, so, goodnight people, sweet dreamz an' all that jazz, and Reviewww please:-)**

**VvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvVVVVV**


End file.
